Sorry I Suck At Love
by allthestripes
Summary: Tweek has done so much to express his love to Craig, Craig feels it's time to give back. What better way than through a song written specially for him? (3 of 4; Speaking Through Music series)


Craig rubbed his hands together nervously, glancing around the stage as the finishing touches were set in place. The group had just finished sound check, and now found themselves with some free time until the concert began. He wouldn't say that he was nervous, but there was definitely some feeling rolling around his insides.

After he had asked his friends to start a band with him, things had changed drastically for the group. Tweek had been supportive, using his contacts to get them started, as well as some of his money to buy them all instruments. They had insisted on paying him back, but Tweek refused, saying they take it as a graduation present. Thanks to him, by the time they had all graduated, they had a few hit songs playing on the radio and a growing fan base.

A gentle tug on his arm pulled him from his thoughts, and Craig glanced over, smiling when he met the eyes of his boyfriend. Tweek smiled back, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.

"You ready for your first live performance?" he asked, glancing around the backstage area. They were at an open stage in Denver, and would be playing for a sold out audience. Behind the curtain, they could hear the mass of voices chattering away.

"Yeah, I think so. Knowing you and my family are here to support me, I can't see how this will go anything but well," Craig said, pressing a kiss to the other's forehead. He took a step back and held his arms out to either side, spinning slowly in front of him. "How do I look? Like a rock star?"

He was dressed casually, having taken Tweek's advice to dress for comfort over fashion. In a plain black t-shirt with the band's logo and name, paired with black jeans and sneakers, he felt at ease, especially since the other members had followed his lead. The only difference was Craig still had his signature hat, the only splash of color in his outfit.

"You look fine," Tweek assured, tugging on one of the flaps of Craig's hat. "And I'm sure you guys are all going to sound fine too. You've been practicing for months for this, and you have a bunch of new songs. Everyone is going to love you. Maybe as much as I do."

Craig smiled, wrapping his arms around the other and pulling him close. "Impossible. I'm your Craig and you're my Tweek. No one can love me as much as you do, and no one can love you as much as I do."

Blushing, Tweek pressed his face into Craig's chest, his shoulders shaking as he bit back laughter. Craig was so dramatic at times, but Tweek loved it. They heard Clyde wolf whistle at them, and Craig flipped in off in response as Tweek stepped back.

"Anyway," Craig added, "one of the songs for tonight is specifically for you. I know you'll realize it as soon as you hear it. It's very obvious."

Tweek raised an eyebrow curiously. The band had never written what he could only assume would be a love song before, choosing to stick with more upbeat music. The slowness of love music was not exactly their forte. The closest thing they had was a break up song, but that had been about one of Jimmy's ex-girlfriends.

"I look forward to hearing it then, Tucker. It better be good if you're going to set it up like this for me," he teased. "I'm heading out to the audience now. I'm sitting with Tricia. She didn't want to be stuck by, in her words, 'my lame ass parents'."

"Yeah, that sounds like her." Waving goodbye, Tweek disappeared around the corner as the rest of the band approached. Clyde punched his arm lightly, grinning like a mad man as Token rolled his eyes and Jimmy laughed.

"He's going to love the song, dude, don't even worry about it," Token said, pulling Clyde out of Craig's reach as he looked ready to punch Clyde back. "Just stay focused and everything will go perfectly."

"Guys! Get in position, it's time!" their manager called. Nodding to one another, they went to their places as said manager, Jason, signaled for the announcer to begin.

Clyde and Token slipped the straps of their guitars over their heads, high-fiving one another for good luck. Token played a purple bass while Clyde's was an electric red guitar. They had practiced for hours together to learn their instruments at a professional level.

Jimmy settled onto his seat behind his drum set, setting his crutches on the ground beside him. He cracked his knuckles, then picked up his sticks, twirling them in his fingers. "I can t-tell we already have a g-g-gr-great audience," he said, listening to the rising cheers of the crowd as their introduction was done.

Craig nodded slightly, putting a hand on the top of the microphone's stand. "Good luck to all of us, let's hope this doesn't go terribly, terribly wrong."

"That's the spirit!" Clyde laughed, pulling a purple pick from the strings of his guitar as Token took out a red one. They grinned at one other, then fell silent as the announcer's voice yelled out.

" _And now, I welcome you all to the first ever live performance of: Craig and Those Guys!_ "

As the curtain opened, Clyde and Token began to play, Jimmy knocking out a beat on his set. Craig launched into the first song with a gusto, remembering the advice Tweek had given to them two weeks before.

 _It'll be hard to keep up the energy from the very beginning to the very end, so plan the songs accordingly. Start big, go hard for a few songs, then take a rest with something more relaxed, then raise it up again._

The band did just as he had suggested. Only a few songs in, they understood the wisdom of what he had told them, and all silently promised to find a way to thank him properly once the show was over.

It was exhilarating, Craig realized, to be on stage. The rolling in his stomach was still there, in fact it had only intensified, but it wasn't a bad feeling. As he sang, his eyes searched the crowd, looking for his boyfriend. At one point, he removed the mic from it's hold and went to the end of the stage, grinning brightly at the fans gathered at the edge. They screamed and reached for him, and he knelt down slightly as he past, brushing his fingertips against their hands.

He didn't linger for long, and as he moved back, his eyes finally alighted on their target.

Tweek was standing beside his sister in the seated section. His family, like the rest of the band members', had decided not to get close to the stage. They got to see the teens whenever they wanted, it seemed only fair they sit further away and let the fans have a better chance at getting close.

A smile crossed his face and a few of the fans closest to him swooned. Returning to his original spot, he set the microphone back in place, nodding at his friends to signal what he wanted the next song to be. They grinned at him and nodded back.

"As I'm sure you all know, I've dated Tweek Tweak for a long time," he said to the crowd as Clyde began to pick at his guitar. "Like, elementary school sweethearts. So, basically, I've known him my entire life, and I've loved him for almost as long." The crowd cheered and applauded, but Craig only had eyes for his boyfriend, their gazed locked.

"On top of that, you all know that Tweek has written songs specifically about me. To be honest, for a while, I felt bad. Tweek has done so much for me to show he loves me, literally singing about it to the entire world. So... I know this isn't really our style, but I think it's time I repaid him. With everyone's help, I was able to write what I feel, and this is probably the most true love song ever to exist."

The crowd cheered again, but the noise quickly died down as Clyde's light strumming changed to actual cords, and soon was joined by Jimmy rolling on the cymbal. Taking a breath, Craig began to sing.

" _I wanted... to dedicate... a song... to you, but all of my songs are about ex-girlfriends and puke._ " A laugh rippled through the crowd, and in the audience, Tweek smile, watching his boyfriend lovingly and wondering where he was going to go with this.

" _So, I sat down, to write you a love song. It was full of cliches, it wasn't impressing anyone._ " With this line, Craig shrugged his shoulders, a lopsided grin taking over his features as he went smoothly on. " _Even though I tried really hard... all I came up with was..._ " He heard the other three take breaths to back him up for the next line before dropping off once more and allowing Craig to continue on. " _'You are a opossum, living in the trashcan of my heart', you're a opossum in my heart._ "

Tweek couldn't help the laughter that sprang from him. The lyrics were so very Craig, and it warmed his heart to listen. Tweek knew emotions had never been Craig's strongest area, but the guy had really stepped up for him when he needed. Craig was his foundation, and he appreciated his boyfriend every single day.

" _I'm sorry I left that towel on the floor,_ " Craig continued, " _so sorry that I snore. Sorry I'm taking my band on tour, sorry that I'm insecure. Sorry I'm awkward around your friends, sorry I get jealous when you talk to other men... Sorry I drank all your wine again, sorry, I apologize so much. Yeah, I hope that I don't fuck this up._ "

Tweek found himself thinking back to the first real fight they had ever had. Not one from their childhood over a silly game, but the first actual screaming match they'd engaged in that had almost ended in their break up. It was funny, he thought. He could remember the pure rage he had felt at the time, but couldn't for the life of him remember what had actually started the fight. All he could recall was when he'd started to hang out with the Goth kids at their school, Craig had been strangely aggravated.

The fight was built up all week from small, passive-aggressive actions each would take against the other until by that Friday, they were being pulled apart by Token, Clyde, Jimmy, and Jason, just screaming hateful, hateful things...

He shook his head quickly, not wanting to think on the memory. What mattered was they had made up, and discovered that Craig was the jealous type. After figuring it out, Craig worked hard to get over it, neither ever wanting to go through something like that again.

The key changed slightly, the next part of the song being led into by Token and Jimmy.

" _And he said,_ " Craig sang before being joined by the others, "' _Don't be so hard on yourself, you fucking idiot, I don't need, anybody else, you stupid asshole. I'm for you, and you are for me, but you've gotta get over your insecurities!'_ "

Grinning at the crowd, Craig leaned into the mic as the others faded out. " _And that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. So I tried to reciprocate with something romantic and sweet. When I got home I thought of the perfect thing to say, but of course, in that moment, it didn't happen that way._ "

Tweek's eyes narrowed slightly as he remembered Craig's reaction after he had first told the other he loved him. Craig had been so caught off guard, his answer had been less than ideal, but it had worked for them. Was Craig going to out his mistake to the world? Not that anyone else would know, but it would give Tweek a fantastic way to rip on him for quite a while.

" _I just held your hand..._ " Craig continued, locking eyes with his boyfriend. Tweek felt as if he'd been cemented in place, unable to look away from him. " _And looked you in the eyes and I said..._ "

Clyde was the only one playing now, strumming a gentle loop as Craig finished out the number.

" _You're pretty rad too, dude._ "

Tweek grinned brightly. Maybe Craig trusted him not to make fun of him, but that was rather wishful thinking. It was his sworn duty as his partner to do just that.

" _You're pretty rad..._ "

The strange pace of the words being cut off was easily fixed by Clyde and Jimmy. As the final notes faded out, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Tweek couldn't stop smiling, even when his cheeks began to hurt from the expression. Craig was just so... Craig. And he loved him with all of his heart.

* * *

The rest of the concert went smoothly, and when the band finished their last song and said their final thank you and goodnight, they retreated back behind the curtain. People stood up and began to move towards the exits, the Tuckers and Tweek staying seated. Craig had been very careful to not let his family be exposed in the media, allowing them to be free in public. Tweek was hidden by Thomas' giant frame on one side and Tricia on the other, his crazy hair stuffed under a black beanie and his eyes covered by dark sunglasses that he had put on when the concert ended. No one recognized him, making everyone's lives much easier.

Once the attendees had gone, the small group made their way back to greet the band. Tweek rushed to Craig, tackling him hard and knocking the other back a few steps as air was knocked from his lungs with a loud "OOF!" Craig didn't mind, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and hugging him tightly before they shared a gentle kiss.

Tricia made gagging noises behind them as Jimmy laughed and yelled, "Gaaaaaaay!"

Craig flipped them all off, his mouth too busy to say anything snarky in response. When they parted, Tweek snuggled into Craig's embrace, letting out a soft, happy sigh.

"I'm proud of you," he murmured, just loud enough for Craig to hear. "I remember how scary it was to perform for the first time, especially when it's about your feelings towards someone." He lifted his head to meet Craig's eyes, smiling when he saw him blush. "That song was really good. It was you in every way imaginable."

"I'm glad you like it," he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "It took a long time to write, and the guys had to give me a lot of help. I'm still not really good at this feeling thing."

Tweek nodded in understanding. "It did make me think of that time we almost- well, you know..." He looked away, watching as the Tuckers congratulated the rest of the band on the performance. "I don't even remember what caused it, but I just feel like I need to tell you I'm sorry again."

Craig shook his head quickly. "It wasn't your fault," he assured. "I was being an idiot as usual and got upset over absolutely nothing. If anything, I'm the one who should still be apologizing to you. I'm a goddamn idiot, and you have the patience of a saint when it comes to me, I swear to God."

"Whatever the cause," he murmured, "I'm glad we overcame it. It's in the past now, so no point in going crazy about it. I'm still sorry about whatever it was I did to set you off. Even if you did just get jealous, it must have been something really upsetting."

"That's the thing, it really wasn't," Craig admitted, nuzzling his hair. "You started hanging out with Pete after he got a job at the cafe, and I just got stupidly angry. I thought..." He took a breath before continuing. "I thought you would leave me for him, since you had so much more in common with each other than you had with me."

Tweek blinked. Then again. Then a third time. Pulling back slightly, he stared up at his boyfriend in confusion. "You thought I was going to break up with you for _Pete_?" he asked. When Craig nodded, he began to laugh, the sound drawing the attention of the others. "For real!? That giant fight was over my bestie? Oh, God, Craig, I'm sorry, but that's really fucking funny."

Blushing lightly, Craig allowed himself to smile. "Yeah, it is, now that I think about it. I was just an insecure dope who refused to acknowledge that I dared to have feelings. Bad enough I was in love with someone, what would people think if I hated someone, too? I had a reputation of not caring to uphold."

Calming into little giggles, Tweek shook his head. "That explains why Pete was acting so weird for a while there, then," he said. "He must have figured it out."

"Does it count as figuring it out if I literally cornered him and may or may not have threatened him to step off before I gave him something to step off of?"

Booping his nose, he nodded. "Sure, for simplicity sake, I'll say yes."

* * *

The night was a huge success, the band setting off their tour with a bang. Jason was an excellent manager and publicist, and every concert was sold out, the venues they played only growing in size until they ended after three months of traveling on the same stage where Tweek had begun his own career. The five's families were gathered together in the green room backstage, watching the concert on the monitors with Tweek.

They danced and sang along, cheering and applauding at the end of each song, thoroughly enjoying the experience. When it was over, the group celebrated with a pizza party, inviting the security guards to join them as Jason brought his sister. Crystal was a massive fan of them, going as far as to by a fifty dollar ticket with her own money to support them even when they offered her free tickets.

The tour seemed to be over in a flash, ending as soon as it began. The band didn't mind, more than happy to get home and rest after traveling for three months around the U.S. Back in South Park, they gathered at the Black house along with Tweek, who had occasionally acted as the opener. One might think the group would get tired of being together and want to be apart a while, but that not the case, all of them as close as siblings after growing up together. It also helped that of the six, four were dating.

"Well, f-fellas," Jimmy said as he sank down into a bean bag and set his crutches aside, "I think that went r-real well. I also g-g-g-got a ton of p-pretty girls' numbers. So I'm going to d-de-declare this a success."

"I'll drink to that!" Clyde cheered, laughing brightly as he pumped his fist in the air. He was sitting on Token's bed with the other, and his excited movement bounced them, making Token chuckle.

"Fine, but no one better let this get out. Imagine how quick we'd be dropped," he said, standing and heading to the door. The group followed him, making their way downstairs to the kitchen. Giving them a cheeky wink, Token pulled out a bottle of champagne, swirling it around. "Someone get out the fancy glasses."

Climbing up on the counter, Clyde rummaged around until he felt the delicate glass of "champagne flutes", a name he had never accepted as being real, choosing to call them instead "really fuckin' expensive adult juice cups".

Token grinned, pressing a kiss to Clyde's temple as he brought over them over to him. He had only been able to grab four in one go, but Jimmy, who had been spotting him in case he fell, approached with the last two clenched in either hand as he navigated around his friends.

"W-W-What?" he asked with a grin. "No k-ki-kiss for m-me?"

Exchanging a look, Token and Clyde leaned forward and kissed his cheeks, making Jimmy splutter with laughter as he wrapped his arms around them. "A-Awe yeah, I g-get all the b-b-bit-bitches!"

"Fuckin' superb, you funky comedian," Clyde said, grinning. Token poured them all a glass and passed them out. The boys cheered, then chugged the champagne down. All of them inexperienced drinkers, they hacked and coughed immediately after, setting the cups down to avoid breaking them as they all struggled to live.

As they settled down, Tweek leaned into Craig's side. " _You're_ the opossum of _my_ heart," he cooed softly into his heart, making the other chuckle and sling an arm around him.

"You're pretty rad."

"You're pretty rad, too, dude."


End file.
